Life With Miley
by Snaily
Summary: Basically what happens after Jake leaves. How will it affect Miley's relationship with him? What new girl will cause trouble for Miley? Who is acting as a Hannah poser on a blog? Complete.
1. Stuck On You!

**Chapter 1: Stuck on You!**

_Flashback:  
"Okay...do you want to go out with me - four months from this Saturday?"_

"Sure, that's sounds...HUH!?"

"Frankie Muniz was gonna do this movie and he dropped out. I fly to Romania tonight!"

"But...you can't just leave. Ya kissed me!"

"Hey, it's not my fault I got a major part in a movie!"

"Yeah...BUT YA KISSED ME!"

"I know, and it was great, and now I don't have to leave for four months wondering what it would have been like."

"Yeah, it would have been a real downer for you to have left without planting one on me."

"Exactly!"

"Well, it is four months, so I'm gonna give you a little something to remember me by...That's how I plant one."

The next day...

"He's gone?" exclaimed Lilly during homeroom.

"Yow! Turn it down, Lilly, you nearly blew my ears off!" said Miley, rolling her eyes.

"He's gone?" whispered, Lilly, her voice straining in disbelief.

"Attention, class!" said the drama teacher, stepping up front. "I have a small announcement. Jake Ryan has left us to go film a movie in Romania."

"Awwww," said the whole class, almost in unison. Miley didn't say anything. 

The teacher began to do his job, overdramatically, as usual. Miley really wasn't listening, even when the teacher began teaching about some composer or another. She was still thinking about Jake. She couldn't decide whether she was happy or sad that he was gone. 

_That guy has such nerve, kissing me and running off! Who does he think he is? A celebrity? Okay, yeah, sure he is a celebrity, but he's not in TV land, where people can get away with that stuff! Oh, but he was so sweet...Oh, stop it Miley, just forget him! No, I can't! Yes you can! No..._

"Miss Stewart!" said the teacher.

"Jake Ryan!" exclaimed Miley, snapping out of her trance.

"No! Mozart!" exclaimed the teacher, matching Miley's loud tone. Miley's eyes widened in embarrassment. The teacher had been asking her a question about _Mozart_! She made a weird face, inwardly cursing her love-sick conscience.

The teacher turned away, muttering something as though he didn't want the class to hear, when he was speaking loud enough for them all to hear. "Maybe if my class actually paid ATTENTION, they might be big famous actors flying to Romania!"

Miley bit her lip. Oops. 


	2. Flippin' for Flapjakes

**Chapter 2: Flippin' for Flapjakes**

"Miley! You can't just forget about him! You guys kissed and I have the lump on the back of my head to prove it!" Lilly exclaimed on the beach later that afternoon.

"So? It's was like ding-dong-ditch with a kiss!" Miley said, folding her arms.

"Hey, maybe you'll get to see each other on Zombie High!" Lilly asked, attempting to turn the mood.

"No, I can't, Lilly. For one thing he doesn't know I'm Hannah and for another the show's out of season. They're not filming any more episodes until he gets back. But it's not like I care. He a stinkin' ding-dong-ditcher!" 

"Hmmm..." Lilly started rubbing her chin mischievously.

"Uh oh. What is it this time?"

"You could chase after him to Romania!" Lilly exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

"What? Lilly, here's Malibu," said Miley, holding up one arm to demonstrate. Then she leaned really far over until she was on her side and held up her pointer finger. "And this is Romania! I can't exactly take a train!"

"Yeah, but you can get a part in the movie as Hannah!" Lilly said. 

No. No way. That's lousy and I just wish you'd drop it." Miley got up, gathered up her beach towel, and stalked off toward her house.

_Man, I just wish I had someone to talk to._ Jake thought on the plane. His agent sat next to him, snoring loudly. His palm pilot was in his hand, but he just wished he knew Miley's number. She had seemed so upset when he had broken the news to her. His head still ached from falling, but he didn't care. He was just mad at himself for waiting so long. If he hadn't, he and Miley could have had more time together, and then she wouldn't have been so angry. Maybe she would have called before he left.

Oh wait. She didn't know his number. That might explain it.

Jake sighed and leaned his head back on his first class seat. He stared out the window. He was landing in New York early the next morning, Saturday, so he could catch another plane the next day. Maybe he could convince Harry to let him attend that premiere before they took off again. It was a long shot. But then again, Jake always got what he wanted.

Saturday. Miley rolled out of bed to the smell of her dad's flapjacks. Mmm. Flapjacks.

She walked out of her room and downstairs, still in her light blue pajamas. Jackson and her dad were already there.

"Hand 'em over, Daddy! I need fuel." Miley sat down and pulled the nearest plate of flapjacks over to her.

"Well, alright bud. Just not my fuel!" Robbie Ray pulled the tower of pancakes back over to him, spilled syrup on it, and pushed a fresh plate over to Miley. She took them gratefully and spilled syrup all over hers, just as Lilly knocked on the door.

Miley waved and Lilly saw her. Her face brightened at the sight and smell of flapjacks. She rushed in and sat at the table, in the seat Jackson had just recently abandoned. "Got any more, Mr. Stewart? All my mom had left for breakfast was stale cereal. Oh, and moldy pumpkin bread. I think she made that at Halloween."

"Halloween? But it's January!" Miley said, gaping.

"Exactly," said Lilly, shoving flapjacks into her mouth. They sat and chewed, sat and chewed. Robbie Ray stared.

"Well, as exciting as this is, I think I need to go and run down to the mailbox," he said. He got up and jogged out of the room, taking one look at the chocolate cake he had bought the day before running out the door. Miley rolled her eyes.

"Well!" she said when she had finished her pancakes. "Those were some good Flapjakes!" She froze when she realized what had come out of her mouth.

"Uh, I mean, uh, Flap JACKS. Good ol' Jacks. Mmmmm."

"Boy, you got it bad," said Lilly, pushing away her plate.

"I know. But at least I can forget all about him at that premiere tonight. It's in New York."

"Ooh ooh ooh! Can I come?" Lilly asked, suddenly hyper.

"Um, yeah. We're taking the Hannah jet, so you can get on free."

"YOU HAVE A HANNAH JET? Why haven't I ever heard of the Hannah Jet?"

"Don't worry. You'll get to see it all and more when we get to New York tonight. We leave at 3:00."


	3. It's a Small World After All!

**Chapter 3: It's a Small World After All!  
**  
Miley as Hannah sat back and relaxed on the Hannah Jet. Lilly, aka Lola Lafnagle, snored next to her. Lilly reminded Miley of a puppy, hyper one minute, and then conked out the next. The Hannah Jet wasn't very large, but it was roomy. It could fit twenty people, but some of the seats were removed for comfort. Robbie Ray sat farther up front, reading a book on parenting. Great. He was reading more ways on how to make her life tricky.

Hannah grabbed her iPod and bounced her head to one of her favorite tunes.

_I can't get out of bed today,  
or get you off my mind  
I just can't seem to find a way  
to leave the love behind...I can't take it!  
What am I waiting for?  
My heart's still breaking.  
I miss you even more.  
And I can't fake it  
the way I could before  
I hate you, but I love you  
I can't stop thinking of you.  
It's true  
I'm stuck on you._

Miley closed her eyes and dozed off. And then Jake's face swam behind her eyelids. But you know what? She didn't really care.

Jake's plane touched down in New York at three the next morning. He had already gotten the chance to talk to Harry about the premiere, and of course, he had said yes. Jake was a bit groggy and cramped after sleeping the night on the plane, but he was able to rouse himself enough to unpack before rolling into his bed at Embassy Suites.

Jake woke up at eleven the next afternoon. He spent almost the entire day in his room watching TV. He would have IMed some of his friends, if he had any. The only person he could even think about was Miley. It wasn't until 6:00 that he left his room to go eat in the restaurant.

The Hannah Jet landed in New York at 4:00 Est. Time. They had spent three hours in the air. No matter how often she traveled across the country, the time zone changes always surprised Miley. She shook awake Lola, whose wig was helter-skelter. She went into the back to put on her own wig, which she had taken off mid flight to air out.

They exited the airport an hour later, and they arrived at the Embassy Suites hotel gratefully. Lola plunked down on the bed and sighed.

"Wow! This place is nice!" she exclaimed. I can't wait to eat at the fancy restaurant!"

"Yeah, we're going down at 6:00," Hannah said.

"Which wig should I wear?" Lola asked. She hauled out a huge plastic bag of wigs in every color. "Red, blue, pink, purple, or green?"

"Uh..." Hannah said. She was saved by a knock on the connecting door. Robbie Ray stepped in, moustache and all. "Get ready bud, Dinner in half an hour."

"Half an hour?"

"Yeah. Trust me; this restaurant serves food as slowly as Uncle Earl on a bicycle. We're heading down early."

"Sure, alright."

Hannah, Lola, and Robbie Ray were finally served their food at six. Just as the waitress was placing the orders on the table, Hannah glanced over her shoulder and saw something nearly horrifying. Jake Ryan.

_Take him to the green room, take him to the green room,_ Hannah thought desperately from her seat in the red room. But no. The waiter led Jake Ryan and his manager to the red room. Straight toward Miley's table.


	4. To Squeak or Not to Squeak

**Chapter 4: To Squeak or not to Squeak**

Hannah, who was in the process of handing her menu to the waitress, tightened her grip. She had to hide. The waitress tried to pull the menu out of Hannah's hand, but Hannah pulled back.  
"Uh, Miss Montana...?" asked the waitress, puzzled.

"Um...I just want to order dessert!" Hannah exclaimed. She tugged on the menu again.

"If you would like dessert, we have a second menu for you; there are no desserts on that one."

"Oh, just give me the menu!" Hannah growled. She ripped it out of the waitress's hands and pulled it up in front of her face. The waitress looked appalled, but walked off anyway. Hannah ducked behind her trophy menu, hiding her face. 

Lola leaned over. "Uh, Hannah? What are you doing?" She had BBQ sauce on her face from the ribs she had ordered and had been eating while Hannah fought with the waitress.

"It's Jake! He's here!" Hannah whispered.

"Oh! Good thinking!" Lola ducked behind her menu as well. "Wait...but you're Hannah! He doesn't know it's you!"

Hannah grimaced. Somehow she had completely forgotten. "Right." She folded her menu and sat up as though nothing had happened. Her dad was giving her an odd look, but then he appeared to decide that he didn't want to know and turned away.

Unfortunately for Hannah, Jake sat down at the table right next to her. He buried his face in his menu, so she figured he wouldn't see her for a while yet. She just didn't want to talk to him! Maybe she could get out without him noticing! She went to pull on Lola's sleeve, but she was involved in her ribs, so she decided to give it up. She dug her fork into her own meal, chicken parmesan, and ate. The whole time she worried that Jake would see her.

Not too long later, the waiter serving Jake came back with his food. As Jake grabbed the food, he knocked a fork over the side. He bent to pick it up, and when he glanced up, he saw Hannah Montana sitting at the table next to him! 

"Hey, Hannah!" he said. "I didn't know you were staying here." He smiled, and she smiled back. There was something strained about her smile. He couldn't figure out what it was.

"How are you, Jake? I heard you were doing a movie in Romania, so I didn't expect you here." She strained the word Romania.

"Oh, we're headed there tomorrow morning. We had to make an overnight stop, and I figured that I'd attend that premiere tonight. Are you going?"

Something flashed into Hannah's eyes. Something like..._worry_. Jake shrugged it off. It might have been the light. But Jake couldn't help but think about how often he had seen a similar look cross Miley's face. It bugged Jake how often he thought about Miley, even in totally irrelevant situation.

_He_ was going to the premiere, too? Oh, great, what a night, Hannah thought.

"Hi Jake!" said Lola, waving. Hannah was embarrassed at the BBQ sauce all the way around her mouth. Oh well. Lola was Lola.

"Hello, Lola, how's home schooling going?" asked Jake. A questioning face crossed Lola's face for a split second before she got it.

"Oh yeah, fine fine, great!" Lola said.

"Hey, what's your room number? Maybe I'll stop by later after the premiere."

"619!" Lola blurted out. Hannah widened her eyes and glared at Lola. Lola didn't get it though, and continued eating her ribs happily.

"Great. See you at the premiere, Hannah," Jake said, smiling his charming smile at her. Hannah nearly bit her tongue off.

Hannah, Lola, and Hannah's dad finished their dinner and headed upstairs. Robbie Ray said that he had to check on the limo service, so he gave them both of the key cards and walked off. They opened their room with one of the key cards, and Hannah plopped on the bed.

"What is he doing HERE?" Hannah said. "I've got to get out of this wig!" She ripped it off, knowing that no one here would see her as Miley. 

"He told you! He's heading to Romania tomorrow morning!" Lilly said, removing her wig and stepping in front of the mirror. She gasped. "Why didn't you tell me about all that sauce?"

"But I still have to deal with him at the premiere!" Miley complained. "Because I thought it was obvious!"

"Hey, don't worry about it! You'll survive." Lilly sat on the bed next to Miley after cleaning off her face. She hugged Miley, reassuring her. Miley smiled and hugged back.

Moments later, the doorbell to their room rang. Miley smiled.

"Its must be Dad, he gave me the card to his room too on accident." She pushed her hair out of her face and went to answer the door.

"Dad?" Miley asked.

"Miley?" Jake asked.

"Jake!" Miley said. She was done-for.


	5. The Truth is Out

**Chapter 5: The Truth is Out**

Miley stared at Jake and he stared back.

"Miley, what are you doing here? What room number is this?" Jake asked.

"You've got the right room," Miley grumbled.

"Um, can I come in?" Jake asked. He folded his hands impatiently, waiting for an answer.

Miley didn't reply. She just swung the door open, making room for him to pass. He nodded and stepped in.

"Oh, hi Jake!" said Lilly. She had thrown one of her Lola wigs back on. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same color she had worn to dinner.

"Give it up, Lilly," Miley said. "He already knows it's us."

"Um, do I? You're sure this is the right room? Cause I was supposed to meet Hannah Montana. Although I am still slightly confused at how you wound up in the same hotel as me on the same night." Jake sat down on Miley's bed and leaned back on his hands. One of his hands brushed the Hannah wig, which Miley had neglected to put away. He glanced at it, then at Miley, the obvious question written all over his face.

"I'm Hannah Montana, okay? Happy?" Miley asked. She sunk onto Lilly's bed while talking to Jake. "And when Lilly found out, she decided to become Lola Lafnagle."

"Whoa."

"I _know,_ I felt the same way," said Lilly, grinning. Miley's lips were pursed.

"Miley, I can't believe you dressed up as Hannah Montana just to follow me!"

"Hello! Ego-boy, I was Hannah Montana way before I ever met you! I'll prove it!

"_If we were a Movie, _  
_You'd be the Right Guy._  
_And I'd be the Best Friend_  
_that you'd fall in the love with._  
_In the end, we'd be laughing, _  
_watching the sunset._  
_Fade to black_  
_Show the names, _  
_Play the happy song._

Do you believe me now?"

"Oh yeah. I think so. Oh, just prove one thing to me, just so I'm sure," Jake said, holding his finger up. Miley rolled her eyes. "Hey, you can't blame me for being a little skeptical! What happened backstage at the Teeny Awards?"

Miley sighed. "I got angry, you said I did great, we talked about people and then Lola here popped up. She was talking about not having met you at school because she was homeschooled in Canada where the moose are."

"Oh! That explains the whole thing. Hang on! That means you knew I liked you way before hand, when I told Hannah on the Zombie High set!" Jake's mouth dropped open. He was clearly embarrassed.

Miley couldn't help grinning. "Yep. It was handy too. I didn't hate you anymore after that."

"You hated me?"

"Just a little. I was mostly jealous that because you were famous you were getting so much attention. I nearly told my secret to Brie Samuels because of that. I had to pull a lame Hannah impersonator joke after that."

"Now that's kinda cool," Jake admitted. "Listen, I'm really sorry I had to run off the way I did. I really do like you, Miley. It's not my fault."

Miley grimaced. "I know," Then there was a knock on the door. "Lola, you get it."

It turned out to be Miley's dad. He stepped in the door and pulled off his moustache. Miley got up and waved, standing in front of Jake. Then she sat down next to him on the bed. He greeted Lilly, and then mentioned to her the chocolate pie he was able to take in a doggie bag out of the restaurant. She was out of the room and in Robbie Ray's in a flash.

Miley smiled, glad to have a little privacy with Jake. "Anyway, like I was saying," she continued. "I was a little upset, I admit. I couldn't figure out whether I missed you or was just glad you were gone."

"Harsh," said Jake. He squinted a little.

"Yeah, well, can you blame me?" Miley said in her defense.

Jake smiled. "Hey, I know it'll be just one date, but, do you want to go to the premiere with me?" he asked.

"You know, I'd love to. But there's just one little problem. I'd have to be Hannah going to a big premiere like that. It's gonna be televised. No one back in Malibu knows that I'm not there. For all they know, I'm still at home doing biology homework."

Jake sucked in breath. "Yeah. Well, just show up with me as Hannah. I don't think anyone will be able to put two and two together. Do you?"

"I guess you're right," Miley said, shrugging. "My dad just got back from contacting the limo service, so I guess I'll see you there. And REMEMBER! No calling me Miley there. Just Hannah. Okay?"

"OK, I got it," Jake said, smiling. Then he did something that made Miley really happy. He leaned in and kissed her.

"Your dad says it's time to get ready, Miles!" said Lilly, opening the connecting door and leaning through. She had chocolate pie all over her face. Miley and Jake broke apart. Miley laughed a bit, and Lilly blushed so much she looked like a chocolate covered-strawberry. Jake smiled.

"Well, Dad's word is law. I guess I'll see you there, then," Miley reached out for Jake's arm and rubbed it, a motion for him to get up.

"Yeah, see you there," said Jake. He smiled, and she smiled back. They kept smiling at each other until Jake reached the door. And just before Miley had to close it on him, he gave her one last quick kiss on the cheek.

She was really glad that she didn't hate him anymore.


	6. Premiere Peeking

**Chapter 6: Premiere Peeking**

Hannah was practically bouncing in her high-heels as she walked down to the hotel lobby. Her dad and Lola were waiting so they could get into the limo. When they did, Hannah had to admit that she was impressed. There was a flat screen TV inside with a stereo. Hannah flipped on the TV to NBC, where they were airing a section on the premiere. It was the movie the whole country had been waiting for, so it was a big thing. Behind the reporter, another limo pulled up, and a boy stepped out.

"Hey, look Lola! It's Jake!" Hannah said, leaning just a little closer.

"Ooh! Let me see!" said Lola. Being on the other side of the seat, she had to squirm over to the other side. She placed her hands on Hannah's head, pressing down so she could see better.

"Yowch! Lola!" Hannah exclaimed.

"Sorry," she said, leaning back again. Hannah winced as she readjusted her wig. About five minutes later the limo began to circle near the red carpet.

"Get ready, bud!" said Robbie Ray from the front seat. The limo went into neutral as the driver stepped out and opened Hannah's door. She put on her best Hannah charm and stepped out, smiling and waving at all the fans. She blinked hard as the cameras flashed in her face, but she was used to it. Lola stumbled out of the car behind her and nearly knocked into her, but Hannah turned around just on time and caught her best friend. They smiled and continued down the red carpet, occasionally signing autographs.

Once inside the theater, it was much darker, so Hannah's eyes got some relief.

"Whew! It sure is exhausting walking down that carpet, you know?" Lola said, breathing heavily. "I mean, it just seems to go on _forever_!" Hannah giggled. Then she heard someone call her name.

"Hannah!" Jake walked over to them. "I mean, _Miley,_" he said in her ear. He made sure no one else could hear first. Hannah smiled. 

"Hey, Jake," she replied. "It's nice running into you here." She gave him a big wink, and he laughed.

"Yeah, this is actually one of my last stops before I fly to Romania to do a movie." He winked back at her. "I'm also stopping in London."

"Now _that_ I didn't know," said Hannah. "Remember to get me something nice there." She laughed at her joke.

"Yeah, okay," Jake grinned, playing along. "Hey, it looks like the movie is about to start. Want to go get a seat?"

"Yeah, sure! Come on, Lola." Hannah grasped Lola's hand and pulled her along. Lola stumbled forward again. Hannah decided that it was because Lola had worn such huge wedges. Then Robbie Ray popped in, stepping in between Jake and Hannah. Hannah furrowed her brow, but she knew that she wasn't going to be able to do anything about it.

They reached the theater. "Hey, bud, I'll be back. Go get us a seat, why don't you?" said Robbie Ray as they entered. Hannah nodded and took Jake's hand, leading him to a seat towards the middle. Lola followed closely behind. As she stepped into the aisle, she thought she heard another camera snap. But she shrugged it off, figuring it might have just been her imagination. Hannah sat, Jake next her, Lola on her other side.

They watched the movie, and whenever something startling happened in the adventure-thriller, Hannah felt her grip on Jake's hand tighten. Once, Lola jumped so hard that she grasped Hannah's shoulder. This was definitely a great night.

After the movie, the three of them, followed by Robbie Ray, exited the theater into the lobby. Jake nudged Hannah.

"Hey, Daddy, I'll be right back. I just need to talk to Jake." Ignoring her father's disgruntled look, Hannah pulled Jake to the side of the theater, almost behind a huge cardboard movie advertisement.

"We can't talk properly with the reporters around. We don't want anyone thinking there's something between Hannah Montana and Jake Ryan, do we?"

Jake laughed and touched her hand. "Why not?" he joked.

"Um...bad publicity."

"You're right, I was just kidding. But I wanted to ask you something. I can't go off to Romania without being able to talk to you once and a while. So...can I have your number?"

Hannah smiled. "Which one?"

"Both."

Hannah looked left and right before handing him a slip of paper with one of her numbers on each side. He smiled and handed her his number. She tucked it safely into her pocket and patted it protectively.

"I'll call you when I get to London," he promised.

"Remember the time zones," Hannah reminded him.

"Don't worry, I will." Jake leaned down and kissed her before he heard his agent calling him to leave. He smiled and waved. Hannah waved back, before she left to meet her dad and Lola by the limo. 


	7. The FakeUp

**Chapter 7: The Fake-Up**

Three days had passed since Miley had last seen Jake at the movies. But that didn't stop her from having hour-long phone conversations with him. She kept him updated on what she was learning in school, even though he had a private tutor. He described London in detail to her, which made her happy. 

But she still had to go to school. She was almost late the Wednesday after Jake left, so she rushed out the door in a hurry. She was still in a hurry when she got off the bus. She rushed past the newspaper stand out front, which also sold magazines. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the cover picture. Just two blond celebrities sharing yet another kiss. Being a celebrity herself, she really didn't like the tabloid pictures that popped up everywhere of other people just like her.

The morning rushed by so fast, Miley didn't know what hit her. It had kind of been like that. It was like one of those days that went by really fast when you knew something bad was going to happen. Except she really didn't know anything bad was going to happen.

Until lunch.

"Hey, Miley!" Miley turned her head to see who was calling her when she walked into the lunch room with her tray. It turned out to be Amber and Ashley waving at her. She glanced at Lilly and rolled her eyes. She completely ignored the two snobs. But they weren't going to give up that easily.

"Miley! We're so sorry to hear!" said Ashley as she and her best friend strode over to the table where Miley and Lilly were sitting. They didn't sound sorry at all. Wait. What was there to be sorry about?

"What are you talking about?" Miley snapped.

Ashley pulled out a magazine from behind her back. "We heard that Mr. Jake Ryan is cheating on you."

IT was common knowledge around the school by now that she and Jake were sharing a long-distance relationship. It had happened once that her cell had rung during class because Jake had forgotten the time zones (like he said he wouldn't), and she had to make an excuse. Miley was thinking about this when Ashley's words hit her full force.

"HUH?!" Miley said. She snatched the magazine out of Ashley's hands and stared at the picture. It was a picture of Jake kissing...oh. Hannah Montana. Miley nearly let out a laugh, but she knew what that would do to her cover. She had to look as distressed as possible. "What?" she cried, faking her expression. She was proud when she even managed a fake tear. 

"Again, we're so sorry," said Amber, making a fake pout of her own. Then the two of them walked off, snickering behind their hands.

Miley wiped the tear off her face. She still had the magazine in her hands.

Lilly took it snorted. "It's only you!" she whispered.

"I know. I still had to fake it. The only thing that bugs me was how they got that picture."

"Oh, yeah. What gives?" Miley glanced at a caption at the bottom of the large picture. It was another picture of her and Jake squeezing into the theater aisle, their fingers brushing.

"So that's what I heard!" Miley muttered. She flashed back to when she had heard the click of a camera. She had thought it was only her imagination then, but now she knew the truth.

"Hey! Look who wrote the article!" Lilly exclaimed, pointing to a small name at the bottom of the article.

"It's Brie Samuels!" said Miley, baring her teeth. "I knew that woman was no good. Jake has to know about this."

"Yeah. You might want to call him later."

"I am!" said Miley. She finished her burger and tossed out her trash. Then she walked out into the hall and hid behind a trash can. She dialed Jake's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jake."

"Miley! Hi! I thought you were going to call later," Jake said.

"I was. But I found something out that you might want to know. The paparazzi caught us - I mean, you and Hannah - kissing at the theater. People will think it's weird if I don't' pretend to break up with you because of it. If I don't, maybe someone will be smart enough to put two and two together," Miley explained.

"Wait! So you're breaking up with me?" Jake said, astonished.

"No! I'm only gonna pretend. You might want to hold the phone away from your ear."

"Okay." 

Miley stepped out from behind the trash can into the middle of the hall where people were sure to hear her. "WHAT WAS THAT ARTICLE ALL ABOUT, HUH, JAKE?!" she shouted into the phone. She paused. "I DONT CARE THAT YOU KNOW HER, SHE'S STILL NOT ME, YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" Another pause. "You know what Jake? I really don't want to deal with you if you go around kissing other girls behind my back. We're through!"

"I love you too, Miley," said Jake through the phone.

"Don't ever speak to me again!" Translation: call me back later.

"I will," said Jake.

"Goodbye! For good!" Translation: I'll be waiting. Then Miley hung up the phone. She strode off to her next class, feeling satisfied.


	8. That New Girl

**Chapter 8: That New Girl**

"Whew, could you make that anymore public, Miles?" Lilly asked at her home later that day.

"That's what I wanted, Lilly! If people think I've broken up with Jake then it'll give the appearance that I was upset about him and Hannah. See, if I wasn't, they would kinda wonder, don't'cha think?"

"Yeah, you're right. So you said he's gonna call again today, right?" Lilly asked. She was munching on a banana and talking with her mouth full.

"I told him to."

"No, you kinda told him to never talk to you again," Lilly said, taking another bite of banana.

"I know he got it, Lilly. You should know by now that I don't always say what I mean!"

"Ooh, ooh! Does that mean you didn't mean what you said about Amber and Ashley being snobs?"

"No! I totally meant that," Miley got up to go get a soda.

"What about what you said about Tony the Janitor?"

Miley turned around. "I meant that, too!"

"What about-" 

"Will you just quit it already?" Miley snapped. Lilly stopped.

"So, when's he gonna call?" she asked as Miley walked back to the couch.

"Right about..." Miley began. The phone rang. She grinned and got up and went to the phone. "...now. Hello?"

"Hi Miley," said Jake. Miley grinned smugly at Lilly, who folded her arms.

"Hey. Sorry about this afternoon. I needed to get everyone off of my shoulders."

"Yeah, that's fine. But let me tell you, my ears will never be the same," Jake replied, laughing.

"I told you to hold the phone away from your ear," Miley said, placing a hand on her hip.

"I did. About two feet away, actually," said Jake. Miley huffed indignantly.

"Miley. I was just kidding!" Jake said, laughing some more. Miley gave in a laughed along.

"Oh! That reminds me, I wanted to tell you that halfway through, in about two months, I'll get a small break and be able to come back to America for a while."

Miley laughed. "That's great! Are you speaking any Romanian yet?"

"Uh..."

She continued laughing. "I expect a good Romanian sentence out of you when you come to visit, Ego-boy. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. Listen, the Director is screaming my name louder than you were earlier, so I've gotta go before he strains a vocal chord. But on the other hand, that might be a good thing."

Miley giggled. "Okay then. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"I'll call you if I can. I don't know how soon I'll be able to talk because we're beginning to shoot all of my big scenes. So give me some slack, and I'll ring you up when I get the chance," Jake explained.

"Alright, sounds good to me," Miley said. "Bye, Jake."

"Talk to you later, Miley."

Miley hung up the phone. As Miley had been talked, Lilly had begun pacing the room impatiently. Miley glared at her.

"Do you want me to have a love life or don't you?" said Miley, waving her hands in the air.

"Well, sure if you save a little love for your best friend," Lilly said.

"Here's some love. Hannah Montana is performing in L.A. tonight and I'm gonna need a little support. And no one gives support more than Hannah's best friend, Lola Lafnagle."

"Ooh! Yay famousness!" shouted Lilly. Miley laughed. She couldn't wait to get on stage again.

_One Month Later..._

Miley walked into school to a whole bunch of giggling on Monday morning. What was going on? She fought her way through the crowd and came up to Amber, Ashley, and their team of snobs surrounding a girl.

"Aw, is poor little Angie trying to be like Hannah?" asked Ashley in a baby voice.

The girl in the center of the crowd was obviously new to Malibu, because Miley had never seen her before. Angelique Moors had come to Malibu from a farm south of Chicago. She was a red-head, but in order to fit in with the Malibu crowd, she had tried to change her appearance.

She had poorly put blond streaks in her hair and tried putting on makeup. IT hadn't worked too well. She wore a pair of jeans, but they had grass-stains that were torn at the knee. To make up for that, she had tried the layered look on top, but had overdone it. She had tried to explain to Ashley that she was trying out Hannah Montana's look. Now that she wasn't on a farm, she was able to try her idol's look without worry. But she had done poorly at it, and now she was being teased.

"Hey, guys, back off!" said Miley. "Give her a break!" Unlike normal, Amber and Ashley just huffed and walked away. 

"Thanks," said Angelique quietly. She had stuffed her hands into her pocket and pointed her toes in.

"It's no problem. I got that too when I first moved here."

"You moved here too? Oh yeah, I can tell. You have a bit of an accent," said Angelique.

"Wow, you noticed. People really don't anymore. I came from Tennessee. You're from Chicago right?" Miley said. She reached out to help Angelique with her books.

"TENNESSEE? That's where Hannah Montana's from, isn't it? I love Hannah Montana! Do you love Hannah Montana? I am her #1 fan; I know absolutely everything about her!"

"Really?" _You think you do,_ Miley said.

"I just wish I could dress like her, you know?" said Angie.

Miley was silent for a moment before saying, "Come by my house after school. I'll invite Lilly and we can all have makeovers!" 

"Really? That would be so awesome! Thanks..." Angie paused when she couldn't remember Miley's name.

"Miley," said Miley, handing Angie her books back.

"Right. Thanks, Miley." Angie took her books back and walked away just as the bell rang.


	9. The Makeover

**Chapter 9: The Makeover**

After school, Angie came over to Miley's house. Lilly was already there, and Miley had prepared a dish of snacks for them to munch on while they were doing their thing. Angie had brought over some of her favorite clothes, and Miley even had plans to sneak into the Hannah closet when Angie wasn't looking.

"Hi, Miley," said Angie, throwing her bag onto the couch. Then she stopped. "It's okay if I put this here, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah, it's fine!" Miley assured her, motioning for her to come over to the kitchen. "Do you want a soda?"

"Yeah, a Coke would be nice. Is your brother around?"

"No, he's on a date, and my dad's at the gym. We have the run of the house!" Miley said excitedly. 

"Hi Angie!" said Lilly, coming out from Miley's bedroom. "Are we all set?"

"Yeah, we're good! Come into my room and we'll get started!" said Miley. Angie nodded. Miley grabbed Aunt Dolly's face mask mixture off the counter and followed Angie down the hall.

"Ahem, Lady Lilly, are we prepared to give our client our best?" asked Miley, adopting a funny tone.

"When are we ever not ready, Madame Miley?" replied Lilly, taking the same plummy tone. Angie laughed. Miley pulled up a hot pink, squishy chair and bade Angie sit down. She did, and Miley and Lilly got started.

"Lilly, you do her nails, and I'll take care of her hair," said Miley. Lilly eagerly grabbed out the nail polish.

"What color do you want?" asked Lilly.

"I think purple would be nice," said Angie. Lilly grabbed all the shades of puirple and held them to Angie's skin. "With your skin tone, may I recommend a gold, bronze or green?"

Angie studied the shades that Lilly was hodling out. "Yeah, I think a bronze." Lilly nodded. Meanwhile, Miley was behind them covering up the mirror on her dresser. She didn't want Angie to see anything before the finished product.

"I have the perfect idea for your hair, Angie," said Miley. I liek the idea you had of highlighting it, but you chose onyl one color. It's slightly unbalanced. I'm going to add some brown highlights to it to make it even. Okay?"

Angie thoguht for a moment. "Yes! that sounds perfect!" She smiled, but couldn't look at Miley to thank her with Lilly holding on to her hand. Miley began work on her hair.

Half an hour later, Lilly was drying Angie's nails with a blow dryer. Her hair was wrapped in a towel so the highlights would set, and Miley was applying a face mask. Angie had cucumbers on her eyes, all the better so Miley could get into her closet and pick out the perfect outfit for Angie. "Wait here, Angie, and I'll pick out an outfit for you. Whatever you do, don't look, because it has to be a surprise."

Angie nodded slowly so her mask wouldn't crack. Miley motioned to Lilly to come into the closet with her. Form earlier interrogation, Miley knew that Angie was the same size as her in all things. It was lucky. Miley snuck into her Hannah closet and pulled out a pair of jeans.

They were dark with a trace of glitter. Miley had a lot of other jeans that she woudl have rather givne Angie, but she couldn't give her anything that looked to expensive. For one, she knew that Angie wouldn't accept them, and two, she didn't want it to look suspicious.

She also found a brown shirt with a v-neck and sleeves that were tight until the elbows. At that point they flowed out in pretty frills. The shirt was tight until the mid-section, and then it was a little loser the rest of the way down. It didn't have a pattern; it didn't need one. 

Quickly, she pulled out a hair band and a gold necklace as accessories. She showed it all to Lilly, who gave her a thumbs-up. She rushed out of the closet and set the outfit on the bed, just as the timer went off. Angie was ready to have her mask taken off. Lilly did the job and Miley racked her brain for a hairstyle. Then it hit her.

Angie wrinkled her face as soon as the makes came off. She pulled the cucumbers off her eyes and ate them. Miley laughed. "Okay I'm gonna do your hair now," she told Angie.

"Thanks for all of this, guys!" said Angie, admiring her nails. "No one's ever been this nice to me in my life!" Miley grinned. She was glad to be Angie's friend.

"I'm gonna use something hot in your hair, so tell me if it touches your cheek," Miley warned.

"Oh, I will," said Angie. Miley took the curling iron behind Angie's head and began working. Lilly took the opportunity to do makeup.

"Okay, you're done," Miley said as soon as she was done with Angie's hair. "Now go change into the outfit on the bed and then we'll let you look in the mirror."

"Okay!" exclaimed Angie. She practically leaped out of the chair and over to the bed. Miley and Lilly turned their backs and Angie changed. It took all of Miley and Lilly's self-control not to screech with pleasure when Angie stepped out. She looked gorgeous!

"Are you ready?" asked Miley, grasping the mirror. Angie bobbed her head eagerly. Miley pulled the cloth off the mirror. Angie screamed.

She looked great in the outfit, and her makeup was done splendidly. Her eyes were highlighted with a bronze eye shadow, and her lips were done in a brownish-red lipstick. Lilly had applied the blush so that it covered some of Angie's freckles, but left others.

Miley's favorite part was her hair. She had curled Angie's now auburn, brown, and blonde hair into spirals. She had braided the blonde streaks to add an affect. It had been pulled back only slightly by the hair band that Miley had chosen.

"Mi...lly..." gasped Angie. Her mouth hung open. "You guys...you should be professional cosmetologists! This stuff, it all reminds me of Hannah Montana, it's all so nice! I'll finally be noticed at school! Oh my gosh! thank you guys!" She ran up and hugged them both, giggling.

"Now don't start crying, your makeup will run!" Lilly warned.

"Ack! You're suffocating me!" Miley gasped. That made Angie laugh even harder. Lilly and Miley started laughing and hugging, too.

Later on, Miley showed Angie to the door, promising to save her a spot at lunch the next day. Angie waved and started walking down the street toward her house. Lilly, who was standing behind Miley, spoke up.

"Do you ever plan on telling her you're Hannah Montana?" she asked.

Miley shrugged. "Not yet. But don't' worry. She'll find out eventually."

How little Miley knew how true that was.


	10. Revenge is Never the Answer

**Chapter 10: Revenge is Never the Answer**

Because of what Miley and Lilly did for her, Angie became part of the Miley/Lilly/Oliver squad. They hung out all the time, but Miley still couldn't bring herself to let slip the big secret. She made Lilly and Oliver swear not to tell, too. Miley still had frequent phone calls with Jake, who was getting more and more excited about coming to visit the next week. He wasn't sure exactly what day he would be coming, only that he would be.

Hannah Montana had been at concerts in Phoenix, Philadelphia and Miami the past three weekends. The upcoming weekend she would be singing in L.A. again. She was excited, and so was Angie. She was thrilled that her idol was coming to town. She had bought tickets online as soon as she found out.

This made Miley nervous. She really liked Angie's company, but she wasn't sure how she woudl react. She was kind of having deja vu of the time when she didn't want to tell Lilly. Maybe it would work out okay, liek it had with Lilly. But what if it didn't? She would ask Jake when she saw him.

That Thursday, Lilly, Miley, and Angie were hanging by the beach. Angie was drooling after some beach boys, who had started paying extra attention to her after her makeover. Th3ere was no doubt; Angie was very pretty. 

"Oh, I've never dated any boy in my life," she said after one particularly cute boy walked away. "DO you know what it's like, Miley?"

"Yeah, I've dated a boy or two," said Miley. She shrugged it off nonchalantly. None of them had gone too well. She remembered the boy who had tried to take her to a Hannah Montana concert. Willis had turned out to be eleven years old! Her boy luck had never been too good. Except when it came to Jake, she reminded herself.

"I've never had any boy that lasted over one date," she continued. "Except one," she couldn't help adding.

"Ooh! Who was that?" Angie asked eagerly.

"Jake Ryan!" popped in Lilly. Miley glared at her.

"The Zombie Slayer?" asked Angie.

"Yeah, that's him," said Miley. She had to act liek she didn't care. Miley wasn't dating Jake anymore. Hannah was.

"You're not still dating?"

"He's in Romania. I miss him. But of course, I had to break up with him when I found out he was cheating."

"WHAT?" asked Angie, totally aghast. He freshly manicured hand was pressed to her lips in astonishment. "Who the heck could he possibly like better than you?"

Miley chuckled. "You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes!"

"Fine! He's dating Hannah Montana now."

Angie just sat in silence, completely shocked. Her idol stole her best friend's boyfriend? 

"Umm, I've got to go," said Angie. She got up, gathered her towel, and walked off toward her house. Miley blew hair out of her face.

"Maybe you shouldn't have told her," Lilly said.

"Ya think?" Miley asked. The word "duh" was written across her face.

_Saturday..._

Hannah and Lola were backstage at the concert in L.A. Saturday night.

"Whatever I do, I have to stay away from Angie. She might totally hate me for dating Jake!"

"Don't worry. In this crowd, she'll never get close to you!" Lola assured her.

Hannah breathed deeply, and then went out on stage.

Angie was sitting in the crowd, clapping, but onyl halfheartedly. Her idol was nothing like she thought, and she only came because it was too late to sell the ticket. She was really angry. She had decided that if she had to choose, she would choose her best friend over her idol.

"Ready Fred?" whispered Hannah to her lead dancer. Fred nodded. In the Other Side of Me he would have to lift her onto his shoulder. That part always made her nervous, but she trusted him. The song began.

_The other side...the other side  
The other side of me_

By day I play  
the part in every way  
Of simple sweet,  
calm and collected

Pretend  
To my friends  
I'm a chameleon  
Can make a girl  
Feel disconnected!

The song continued. Hannah was having a blast on stage, almost all her cares temporarily forgotten.

Jake Ryan headed into the back entrance of the Hannah Montana concert in L.A. She didn't know he was here, and he wanted to keep it that way. For now.

He walked backstage to see Lola - or Lilly - peeking onto the stage form behind the curtain. Hannah was on stage singing from the shoulder of one of her dancers. He crept up behind Lola and tapped on her shoulder. She opened her mouth, but he stopped her.

"She can't know I'm here yet!" he said.

Lola squeaked.

Hannah finished the song and walked off stage to get a break. She had just sung her heart out and she needed to breath. Little did she know who was hiding behind a spare speaker nearby.

"Hey, Hannah! That was great!" exclaimed Lola from nearby. She grabbed Hannah's shoulders and steered her around so her back was to the speaker.

"Thanks Lola. I've gotta get a drink," said Hannah, starting to turn away.

Lola grabbed her again and spun her back. "Wait! I just wanted to tell you..."

"What is it?" said Hannah, rolling her eyes and placing her hands on her hips. "Lola!"

Just as Hannah had said that Jake crept up behind her. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. 

"Jake!" she gasped, throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting. Do you have a problem with that? Because I could always fly back to Romania..." he teased.

"Oh stop it!" said Hannah. She was grinning from ear to ear. She heard the crowd calling her name. "Sorry, Jake, I have to go!"

She went to go, but Jake grabbed her and gave her a quick kiss before he let her go. She grabbed a bottle of water and took a quick sip before heading back out on stage. She started her next song with more excitement than she had before.

_We haven't met  
And that's okay  
Cause you will be asking  
For me one day..._

The concert ended, and Angie was angrier than before. She had caught a glimpse of Jake Ryan behind the curtain from where she sat. She wanted to get revenge for Miley. She knew what she would do. She just had to wait until the time was right.

Later on, Jake and Hannah were leaving the building together. A crowd of fans was gathered on either side. Jake had Hannah's elbow, leading her along the carpet.

And then something happened.

An auburn haired girl popped up from nowhere in the crowd. She pushed her way up front, anger burning in her brown eyes.

"Hannah Montana, you boyfriend stealer!" cried the girl. It was too late that Hannah realized it was Angie. Angie shoved her way forward and grabbed on to the end of her blond hair. She yanked hard, and Hannah cried out. Her clips under her wig were violently pinching and twisting. Then one broke and came loose. Then another. Soon, Hannah's entire wig came off in Angie's hand, and she ducked her head quickly, Her brown hair popping loose and waving in the air.

There were some screams from the crowd. Luckily for Hannah/Miley, Jake had heroically pulled off his leather jacket and thrown it over her head. He continued leading her forward, and Robbie Ray tried to fend off the crowd. Jake practically threw Miley into the car, and Lola leaped in after her. Jake shut the door, mouthing the words, "I'll call you."

Robbie Ray slid into the passenger seat and bade the driver go. The driver, also Hannah's security guard, Roxy, stepped on it and the limo sped off. The last thing Miley saw was the astonished and hurt look on Angie's face as she held the Hannah wig.


	11. You Can't See Me if I Can't See You

**Chapter 11: You Can't See Me if I Can't See You!**

Miley couldn't leave her house the next day. She wasn't sure if anyone had been able to see her well enough to figure out who she was or whether she was safe. The only thing she knew was that Angie had found out. 

She ate her breakfast and got dressed. Then, in desperation, she grabbed a paper bag from her closet, but holes in it, and slammed it on her head. Before she left the house, she grabbed her purse with her name engraved on it and walked out. If people did know, she didn't want a lot of attention.

Luckily, it was Sunday afternoon, and she went to the beach because she just had to get out of the house. It wasn't long before she ran into Lilly, who was just getting out of the water.

"Miley?" she asked. Miley held up her finger.

"Shh! I don't want anyone to know it's me!" said Miley urgently. Lilly pointed at Miley's purse.

"You're kind of carrying around your own sign there, Miles," said Lilly. Miley growled and pulled the bag off of her head.

"Is there any news?" Miley asked. 

"Um, yeah, the picture is all over the tabloids. you should see, Jake has this really weird face on..."

"Lilly! Do they know it's me, yet?"

"Oh! Uh, know, I don't think so."

"Good." Miley stomped over and threw her mask into the trash. "So I'm safe for a while."

Lilly nodded, drying her hair off with a towel. "Let's go back to your house and eat some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It'll make you feel better, trust me."

"Whatever you say," said Miley, following Lilly back to the shack.

Not too long later, they arrived back at Miley's house. Lilly's hair was all dried out, and Lilly hauled Miley in by her wrist. She plunked Miley on the couch and ran to get some Ben&Jerry's. Miley sunk into the couch, grabbing the remote nearby. She turned on the TV.

_"And everyone's talking about Hannah Montana's big secret,"_ said the reporter on EXTRA. _"Late last night after one of the teen celebrity's concerts in L.A., an angry fan pulled on Hannah's hair. It turned out to be a wig. Watch as the blond wig pops off Miss Montana's head._ A clip of the event played. _Notice the brown hair revealed under the wig as Hannah's beau, Jake Ryan, throws his coat over her head. This must be one big secret, folks! No one has come forward with the true identity of Hannah Montana, but be sure to keep your eyes open! Hannah's agency had come forward and said that she is not performing any concerts until this scandal is cleared up. And now we move to Pete in the NYC office..._ Miley flicked off the TV.

"I'm everywhere haunting me!" she cried, burying her face in her hands.

Lilly came over with the ice cream in dishes. She had piled on mounds of chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Lilly wrapped her arm around Miley's shoulder. "On the bright side, they don't know who you are!" she said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh trust me Lilly; someone's bound to find out. They're relentless that way. Ugh! This is worse than the time I messed up the words to the National Anthem!"

"It's okay."

Miley just stabbed her spoon into her ice cream and ate. She wished Jake would call. Oh no. What if she got run over and killed by the crowd of fans? What if he hadn't survived? Her anxiousness showed when she accidentally shoved too much ice cream in her mouth and some fell onto her shirt. She groaned and pressed her head against the couch.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Lilly got up to get it, and Miley flopped onto the couch, hiding her head underneath a pillow? What if it was Angie? She couldn't hear anything going on outside her, and hoped Lilly would take care of it.

"Miley?" She heard a voice beside her.

"Miilmph, Im nopht Miilmph, whaph or u talgung abou?" she cried through her pillow.

"Sorry, I couldn't understand you, what was that?" said the voice. Miley threw the pillow off her face and sat up. Squeezing her eyes shut, she shouted, "Miley? I'm not Miley, what are you talking about?" Too late she realized her cover was blown. She opened one eye to see Jake staring back at her in alarm.

"Um...hi." She grinned sheepishly, then groaned and slapped her face into her hands. 

"Hmmm," said Jake. "Does my girlfriend have a third alter ego? Lindsay Lohan, maybe?"

Miley couldn't help but giggle a little. "Sorry about what happened last night. What a way to come home. 'Welcome Home Jake, your girlfriend's Hannah Montana!'"

Jake grinned. "You're alright though?"

Miley didn't reply at first. Then she said. "Yeah, I'm alright. So far today I've shoved a paper bag on my head, eaten a whole tin of Ben&Jerry's, and smashed my face into pillows so many times I'm surprised it hasn't fallen off!" 

"Wow. You've been busy. Where's your dad?"

"He's at the gym. After I nearly drowned myself in the shower this morning, he figured I'd need some time alone."

Jake nodded. "At least no one knows it's you."

"That's what Lilly said. And thanks for what you did last night. It's mostly because of you that people _don't_ know," Miley said.

"Yeah, I did a pretty good job at that, did I?" said Jake, primping. Miley punched him playfully on his shoulder.

"Get that ego away from me!" she joked. They both laughed. Miley knew that it was going to be an OK day, but she wasn't so certain about Monday.


	12. Helena, Hannah, Montana

**Chapter 12: Helena, Hannah, Montana**

The next day, Miley had to go back to school. She wasn't looking forward to it, but she had no excuse because no one knew that she was Hannah Montana. She finally persuaded herself that it was all going to be okay.

Then she remembered Angie.

She walked into school fearing the worst. But everyone seemed oblivious to her, as usual. She knew that nothing had changed. But she also had a deep feeling that it wasn't going to last very long.

"Did you hear? Hannah Montana wears a wig!"

"She's not really blonde?"

"That was sooo weird what happened, I was there!"

These whispers followed Miley everywhere. They sent the crawls up her back. But before she knew it, it was time for History. The only class she shared with Angie.

"Okay, class. Today we will be working in teams of three. I will select the teams. Oliver Oken will be working with Danny and Ben. Ashley Dewitt can partner with Amber and Becca Weller. Miley Stewart is partnered with Lilly Trescott and Angelique Moors," said the teacher. There was no hesitation in her voice. The teacher must have visited Miley in her nightmares.

Lilly, Miley, and Angie moved over to a corner behind the bookshelf. Angie carried her backpack with her, as well as her history book. For about ten minutes, instead of taking turns reading as the teacher had instructed, they just sat and stared at their history books. They snapped to attention when they heard the teacher calling their names.

Miley started reading. "The state of Montana is bordered by several states. These states include North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, and Wyoming. It covers 147,046 square miles, making it the fourth largest state in the U.S."

Lily picked up next. "The State Song is Montana, and its motto is "Oro y plata," or gold and sliver. It's State Animal is the Grizzly Bear and the State Bird is the Western Meadowlark."

Angie started reading. "The largest city in Montana is Billings. The capital is Helena - it should be Hannah." An awkward silence followed. Angie unzipped her backpack and pulled out the Hannah wig. Miley was surprised it hadn't been ripped out of her hands that night.

"What's that?" Miley asked, playing innocent.

"It's your wig, _Hannah_" whispered Angie. Miley decided it would be easier just to give up the facade. 

"How could you do that to me?" asked Miley quietly. "I didn't do anything to you."

"But Hannah Montana supposedly stole Miley's boyfriend. I wanted to get revenge on her. I had no idea it was you! If you had only told me..."

"Angie! I didn't think you'd do something like _that_," admitted Miley. "And I didn't know you well enough yet. I knew Lilly for years before I told her!"

Lilly bobbed her head in agreement.

"You knew?" Angie asked.

"Yeah! Lola Lafnagle at you service!" said Lilly, faking a salute. Angie frowned.

"I just wish you guys had told me. I wouldn't have done it!"

"Its okay, I guess. But now I have to make a really big decision. I need to choose whether to tell the media myself or to let them find out in a less-than-pleasing way."

"We should talk about it at the beach tonight," replied Angie, glancing behind Miley as she saw the teacher looming near. "Montana," she said in an overenthusiastic voice. She meant to satisfy the teacher, and it worked. Miley rubbed her arms and glanced back down at her history book. At least Angie didn't hate her. But somehow, the whole situation made Miley feel queasy. She'd try to get over it later on the beach.


	13. The Biggest Decision

**Chapter 13: The Biggest Decision**

Miley, Lilly, and Angie sat on the beach later. The waves tickled their toes as they sat in silence. Miley had really wanted to invite Jake. But she couldn't. Angie knew the deal now, but there were other people on the beach. They knew Jake, but they also "knew" that Miley and Jake had broken up. Jake had recently been photographed with Hannah Montana, so seeing him with Miley would not only arouse suspicions about her, but might ruin Jake's reputation.

"What do you guys think I should do?" Miley said at last. "I could either leave it the way it is, allowing the media to found out on their own, possibly running my reputation or I could come forward and save myself a whole lot of misery."

"You make it sound so dramatic," said Angie.

"Well, Angie, I've never actually had this problem before. It could ruin my life if I don't deal with it properly," Miley said, kicking her feet in the surf.

"I don't know, Miles. But whatever you do I'm gonna be right there next to you. Lola or Lilly," said Lilly, touching Miley's arm. Miley smiled.

"Thanks, you guys," said Miley, smiling a bit. "I think I know what I'm gonna do." 

_"And the latest news, folks, is that Hannah Montana will be performing a nationally broadcast concert this Saturday at 4:00 pacific time. Be sure to tune in to channels 29, 34, 100, and 648 at that time to see her for the first time since the incident last weekend at her concert in L.A. The word is, You won't want to miss this, folks!"_

The word had spread around school by Friday afternoon about the concert. Every person in the school planned to tune in on Saturday.

"Are you going to watch the concert, Miley?" asked Becca Weller just before school let out on Friday.

"No, I'm not going to be able to," said Miley truthfully.

"Oh, that's a shame. I'll let you know what happens." Miley shrugged. Becca smiled and walked away.

All day Miley got questions like that. And each time she gave the same exact answer. And then Saturday rolled around, and Miley wasn't sure what would happen.

Hannah breathed in and out. It didn't work. She was still nervous. Jake, who had come to give her support, rubbed her back. She smiled, and walked over to her dad, who was beckoning her.

"Daddy, I don't know if I can do this!" she cried, hugging him.

"You'll be okay, bud," said Robbie Ray. "Time to go out, bud." 

Hannah took a deep breath and strode out on stage smiling.

She stopped at the microphone on center stage. "Hello, America. Tonight, you're gonna see something that has never been seen before. But before we come to the big finale, I want to sing a few songs. But pay very, very close attention to the lyrics, please." The crowd applauded, and Hannah cued her band. 

She began with "Best of Both Worlds". She moved on to "Just Like You," and "This is the Life." 

"Okay, and now time for our big finale," said Hannah into the microphone. Only the guitar to "The Other Side of Me," played.

She began to sing.

_"The other side..._  
_The other side..._  
_I want you to see..._  
_The other side..._  
_The other side of me."_

As she reached the last stanza of the song, she reached up into her wig and unfastened the clips.

_The girl that I want you to know_  
_If only I could show _  
_The other side_  
_The other _  
_side of me."_

And as she finished, she removed her wig. There were gasps throughout the audience, and mutters followed.

"Hello, America. My name is Miley Stewart, and I am Hannah Montana."


	14. I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again

**Chapter 14: I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again**

Miley took a deep breath in and out. Now that everyone knew who she was, she could perform as herself. As Miley.

She beckoned for her dancers to come out on stage.

"_Hey, get up!_  
_Get loud! _  
_Start pumpin' up _  
_the party now!_"

She did the performance just as she would any other day. The difference was that she was not wearing her wig. She became distressed when she saw some people get up and leave the live audience. She could only imagine how many TVs across America had already been turned off. But she continued throughout her last song, hoping that at least some of her fans were okay with it.

She ran offstage after her last song, breathing heavily. The adrenaline pumping through her system was enough to make her jump through the ceiling. She rushed over to her dad, who had removed his moustache.

"How'd I do?" she asked eagerly.

"You did fine. I think you made the right decision," said her dad, hugging her. It made her feel better. Then she walked over to where Lola and Jake were standing. 

"Hey," she said weakly.

Lola rushed up and hugged her.

"You did great," said Jake. Miley looked at him over Lola's shoulder.

"Thanks," she said.

"Cu plăcere," replied Jake. Miley beamed.

"So you did learn some Romanian!" she exclaimed, breaking Lola's embrace. "Do you know anything else?"

"No, that's about it. But there is "Unde e Toalete," Jake said.

"What does that one mean?" Miley asked, stepping closer.

"Where's the bathroom. Let me tell you, that set I work on is a maze."

Miley threw back her head and laughed. Lola and Jake laughed along with her. After they stopped, Lola left for the chocolate fountain, leaving Miley and Jake.

"I'm really glad you were here, Jake," said Miley, smiling.

"I'm glad I could come. I couldn't just leave you to be trampled by angry fans, could I?" he joked.

"Is that what you thought?" Miley demanded, grinning.

"No. Of course not," said Jake. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. She kissed back. When they broke apart, they were both grinning like wolves.

"Hey bud! Let's get a move on it!" called Robbie Ray form nearby. He frowned slightly at their embrace, seeming relieved when they released each other.

"Coming, Daddy!" Miley called back. "I'll see you later, then, Jake." She waved as she walked away, following her dad and Lola out to the crowd.

The rest of the day went by like a blur. The numerous faces of screaming fans outside the door seemed like nothing to her. She made it to the limo without having a pie thrown in her face, so she realized that everything might be okay. But she decided that she wouldn't leave the house the next day, by her dad's suggestion. That way, everything could die down just a little bit before Miley Hannah Stewart-Montana showed her face again.


	15. Fans, Fans, Go Away

**Next chapter! This is the first story I ever did, so I neglected to put up some important things at the beginning. Such as the disclaimer. I don't own Hannah Montana. End of Story. I DO own her soundtrack though, if that counts for anything! LOL**

**Chapter 15: Fans, Fans, Go Away!**

Miley hopped out of bed on Monday morning oddly excited. Well, she wasn't exactly excited, more along the lines of anxious. But adrenaline pumped through her veins as she got dressed and packed her bag.

She was thankful that Jake's parents insisted that he go back to school during his two weeks in Malibu. Now she'd have Lilly, Oliver, Angie, and Jake next to her during the day. She stuffed the last of her books into their bag and grabbed a bowl of cereal. She ate up eagerly, wanted all the energy she could get. Who knew how many angry/excited fans she'd have to fight off today?

She decided to walk to school, and as she walked past her best friend's house, Lilly joined her. They linked arms.

"Are you ready to brave today?" shouted Lilly.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Miley replied.

"Are you ready to fight?"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

"Are you ready to defend your country at all costs?"

"Ma'am, I prefer to start with myself. Then I shall move on to my country, Ma'am!" Miley shouted, her laughter slicing the air. Lilly's laughs soon joined hers.

They strode up to school slightly less noisily. Miley managed to make it to her locker without any one approaching her. And, even more surprisingly, she made it to homeroom. Jake met her outside the door.

"How are you today?" he asked as she came near.

"Still alive. You?"

"I didn't spill my secret identity to the nation two nights ago."

"Good point," Miley giggled. But if there had been one person in the classroom that hadn't heard about the Hannah fiasco yet, they would know by the end of class.

Miley and Jake walked into the room just as the bell rang. Just as Miley and Jake got in, the chatter that had filled the room suddenly quieted quickly. Miley shoved her bag farther up on her shoulder and sat at her desk.

"Class, class, settle down," said the teacher, quite unnecessarily. Miley was bent over, searching for her books.

"I have two important announcements. One is that Mr. Jake Ryan has rejoined us from Romania for two weeks while he is on a brief filming break. Welcome back, Jake," said the teacher. The class applauded, the girls slightly more than the boys.

"And two," the teacher continued, stroking his short blond goatee, "as I'm sure you all know, Miss Miley Stewart had a very important announcement to make," Miley sat up liek a missile. "We do not only have one celebrity in our class, we have two. Hannah Montana."

The class applauded. But unlike with Jake, it was wild. Some were whistling, and other screamed a little. On student even had the insane idea to bring in an "I love Hannah," sign. Miley blushed.

"Miss Stewart, do you have anything to say?" asked the teacher. His attitude toward her had definitely changed.

"Uh, yeah. One, I'm still Miley here, not Hannah. And two, I don't want to be treated like Hannah Montana anywhere that I am not wearing the wig."

There was a knock at the door. And suddenly Brie Samuels walked in, a photographer behind her. "I'm looking for Hannah Montana," she announced while striding over to Miley. 

Miley rolled her eyes, and her entire head for that matter. "Not present," said Miley. Brie didn't leave.

"I mean, Miley Stewart, AKA Hannah Montana." Miley still didn't say anything.

Brie sighed. "Alright. Miley Stewart."

"Yes?" said Miley sweetly.

"I would like to ask you a few questions."

"Sorry. I'm in school right now. You'll have to catch me some other time," Miley said. She pulled out her Musical History book and pretended to be enchanted by the history of the fife. Brie continued talking behind her, but Miley ignored it. Brie finally gave up and walked away. Out of the corner of her eye, Miley saw Brie try to pry some information out of Jake, but he wouldn't budge either. What a guy.

The class went on, but Miley was constantly feeling eyes on her back. She tried to ignore it as best she could. She walked out of class later with Jake and Lilly. Oliver and Angie had to go off to another class. Many people came up to her, many addressing her as Hannah. She ignored everyone who did so.

"Ugh! Will it never end!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

"Don't worry, they usually get over it in about three weeks or so," said Jake.

"Three weeks?!" Miley cried, her eyes widening to the size of golf balls.

"Yeah. But you get used to it after about two."

"How would you know, Ego-Boy? You loved every minute of it!" Miley stated. She grinned in spite of herself.

"True," Jake admitted, shrugging. Miley playfully punched him in the arm. "Ouch!" he said, grinning too.

People eventually got the hang of the fact that she wasn't going to be called Hannah in school. She got more and more "Miley's" and less "Hannah's." But so many questions were asked over and over that she almost considered putting up an FAQ on the bulletin board!

But what Miley had forgotten was all the problems that her alter-ego had caused in the past that would catch up with her at lunch.


	16. Consequences of Fame

**I don't' own Hannah Montana. I wish I did. Wait, no, that's not what I meant. I mean, I want to own Hannah Montana's cute clothes! And her accessories and her house and her all around fame and…okay, I'll be quiet now.**

**Chapter 16: Consequences of Fame**

Miley, followed by her group of friends, entered the cafeteria later on. People stopped eating and looked up to watch as she did. Miley rolled her eyes.

"Ugh! People, just pretend I'm not here, okay?" she said to everyone in the room. They automatically bent back over their food.

"Whoa, you've got them under your thumb, Miles!" said Lilly as they sat down at their usual table. "They'd jump of a bridge if you told them to!"

"Do you think I could make Amber and Ashley jump off a bridge?" said Miley as the two snobs walked over to their table.

"Hey, Miley, Lilly, Oliver, Angie!" said Ashley cheerfully.

"Oh! And Jake," said Amber at the same time as Ashley. "Ooooh, ttsss," they said, doing their annoying finger thing. Miley glanced at Lilly.

"Oh, sorry Miley does that annoy you?" asked Ashley. Miley gave them the "duh" look.

"Okay, we won't do it again!" Ashley said.

"We won't?" asked Amber, pouting.

"No, we won't!"

"O-Kay," said Amber, folding her arms. "Well, we just wanted to invite you over to our table," she continued.

Miley tugged on Lilly's sleeve and they ducked under the table.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"There are a lot of cute boys of there!" said Lilly earnestly.

"Yeah, but what if we look like snobs?"

"Just today. We wouldn't want to be rude!" said Lilly.

"Okay." Miley sat up, nearly cracking her head open on the table. Her head throbbing, she told Amber and Ashley that they'd come over. Miley, Lilly, and the rest took their plates and began to get up.

"Oh, sorry Lilly, there's only room for Jake and Miley at our table," said Amber, shrugging. Lilly sat back down disappointed. Miley looked over at Jake, who was already heading over. Miley walked over, regretting her decision.

"Hey Miley," said a boy. He looked familiar. Oh yeah! He hated Hannah Montana, and Miley had tried to date him once. That hadn't worked out too well.

"Hey," she said back. She sat down next to Jake, slashing through any hopes that guy might have had at going it again.

"Hi, Miley," said Becca. "How's your Hannah Montana inbox coming along?"

Oh right. She had tried to hook up Becca and Oliver once. That hadn't worked out too well.

"It's fine. I haven't gone around hooking up couples, if that's what you mean."

Becca nodded.

"So, Jake, how did you find out?" asked Amber. Jake glanced at Miley.

"Same time you guys did."

"Really? That doesn't make any sense to me," said Amber. "I mean, that's considering you were caught kissing her before the big announcement."

"Anything between him and me is between him and me," said Miley.

"SO, Miley, what has it been like, being Hannah Montana?"

"Great, until it intruded into my personal life."

"Do you make a lot of money?"

"Who writes your songs?"

"Do you know any other celebrities? Could you introduce me?"

"Who's Lola Lafnagle?"

"Guys! I'm getting a headache, would everyone please be quiet?!" Miley exclaimed. It was no lie. She had a horrible headache, and she was starting to get a stomachache too.

Later that day, Miley was feeling even worse. She was excused from school that day after she puked in the hallway. Tony the Janitor happily cleaned it up.

This whole letting everyone know thing was not such a hot idea anymore.


	17. Washed, Wrung, and Hung Out to Dry

**Chapter 17: Washed, Wrung, and Hung out to Dry**

Miley sat on the couch later that evening, tearing up over the last few minutes of _Titanic_.

"Promise me you'll never let go."

"I'll never let go, Jack!"

Miley bit her lip as one tear rolled down her face. Then the door opened.

"Hey Miley, are you feeling better?" asked Lilly, tromping over to her.

Miley paused her flick and looked over at Lilly. "Yeah, a little." She adjusted the hot water bottle on her stomach as she spoke.

"Oh, _Titanic_!" said Lilly, sitting on the couch next to Miley. "My mom blubbered like a baby when she watched that one."

Miley glanced at Lilly. "_You_ blubbered like a baby when you watched it."

"Did not!" said Lilly defensively. She folded her arms in protest.

"Did too!" said Miley, poking Lilly in the ribs. Lilly's frown cracked open as she began to laugh.

"Shh! Hey, guys, I'm on the phone!" said Jackson from nearby. Miley rolled her eyes. Jackson turned back to the phone. "What was that, Kiara? Yeah, Hannah Montana is my sister." Miley's jaw dropped open. She twisted around and through a pillow at Jackson, who dodged it. Luckily, Lilly had gotten the hint and run over to Jackson. After some struggle, she snatched the phone from Jackson's hand and hung up on the girl named Kiara. 

"Hey!" said Jackson, trying to fight to get the phone back. But Lilly shoved him away and did a back flip to avoid retaliation.

"Jackson, come on! I'm only sick because I got tired of the whole Hannah thing!" Miley whined. "And now you're using me to get dates?"

"Sorry Miles. Kiara was the one who asked."

Miley groaned and rolled over, shoving a pillow into her face. Jackson shrugged and walked off. There was no getting through to her sister when she was like this. Robbie Ray passed him as he walked out.

"Hey bud, do your need some orange juice?" asked Robbie Ray coming in. "Hey Lilly."

"Hey, Mr. Stewart. I'll take some OJ," replied Lilly. Miley agreed.

"Right then. Do you think you're up to school tomorrow?" Robbie Ray asked Miley. 

"Yeah. I'll give it a shot. I've got a message for the new principal. Unlike the old one, EVERYONE listens to her," Miley said, grinning.

"Ugh, yeah. I ran into her in the hallway once. She scared the petoosky out of me," said Lilly, shuddering.

"Petoosky?" Miley asked, her eyebrows raised.

"What? All you Tennessee people get to use fancy words, why can't I?" she said.

"Fancy words? Hate to break it to you Lilly, but petoosky isn't fancy," laughed Miley. Lilly smiled.

"I'm gonna make you girls some Robbie Ray chicken noodle fantasorama," said Miley's dad, grabbing a pot from a drawer.

"Mmm, sounds good, Mr. Stewart," Lilly murmured. Just as she did, the doorbell rang. Lilly jumped up to get it. It was Oliver and Jake.

"Hey guys," said Oliver. He waved and Miley waved back. Jake followed him in. "I brought Miley's homework." He slammed an apparently heavy book bag on the coffee table.

Miley's eyes widened. "Homework?" she asked.

"Yep. I called your school and asked them to send homework with Oliver," called Robbie Ray from the kitchen. "Being famous has never stopped your schoolwork before, has it?"

"_Da_-ddy!" moaned Miley. She smacked yet another pillow into her face and growled.

"You really seem to like doing that, don't you, Miley?" asked Jake, walking over. Miley glared at him from behind the pillow. But she was really smiling.

Oliver peered at the paused television screen. "_Titanic_? Boy, I cried so hard when I watched that one. What about you, Jake?"

Jake looked up at Oliver. "No."

"Oh, well, I mean, I didn't either," blubbered Oliver, shoving his hands into his pockets. Everyone laughed.

"You boys want some soup?" asked Robbie Ray.

"No thanks, Mr. Stewart, we're gonna go soon," Jake said. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, turning his attention to Miley.

"Better than I was when I was hurling my Wheaties," said Miley.

Jake smiled. "You're sure?"

"Hmm. Now that you mention it, I feel like I've been washed, wrung, and hung out to dry!" said Miley, adding fake cheeriness to her voice.

"Fame can do that to you," said Jake.

"Oh, yeah? You don't say?" said Miley sarcastically. She and Jake laughed. Jake checked his watch.

"I gotta go. Mom cooks dinner on Monday's and she feels really offended if I miss it. Catch you later, alright?" he said, smiling.

"Yeah. I'll probably be at school tomorrow. So I'll see you then," said Miley. Jake left with Oliver, who claimed he had to go "not cry" at his sister's favorite movie.

Lilly left after she finished her soup. Miley sighed, contentedly watching the last of her movie. Peacefully and quietly.


	18. The Principal of Evilville

**Chapter 18: The Principal of Evil-Ville**

Miley was feeling much better the next morning. She packed her bag, making sure to pack the note that she had written for Principal Nuellanberg. She hoped it would solve her problems. If it didn't do that, it would more than likely make them worse. But she had to take the chance.

Later that day, Miley was sitting in homeroom. She had already dropped off the note in the secretary's office, and if the principal had read it, something ought to be happening very shortly.

Sure enough, the loud speaker came on.

"Attention, students." The students in the class kept chattering.

"This is Principal Nuellanberg speaking." All the chattering stopped instantly. Every person in the class turned and looked at the speaker phone that Mrs. Nuellanberg's voice was coming from. "Everyone knows by now that Miss Miley Stewart is really pop sensation Hannah Montana. But after the unfortunate accident of yesterday, it has been requested that NOTHING having to do with Hannah Montana WHATSOEVER is to be discussed among anybody. ANYONE who disobeys this rule, which includes even saying the NAME Hannah Montana, will have a week's worth of detention, where they will sit and write "Hannah Montana is a TV Land creation," until their fingers fall off. This is not to be taken lightly. Thank you."

The speaker phone clicked off. Miley was impressed. She had not named a specific punishment. But the one Principal Nuellanberg had come up with was brilliant. Lilly and Oliver were staring at her, and she grinned slightly. The class began and Miley concentrated on her studies.

But the entire class nearly jumped out of their seats when the door burst open halfway through class. Principal Nuellanberg walked in. Uh oh. This hadn't been in Miley's plan.

Principal Nuellanberg had dark brown hair tied tightly into a bun at the back of her head. She wore thick-rimmed, square glasses around her piercing eyes. Her lips were painted bright red and she had a beauty mark on her nose. She wore a black dress suit that was stiff, just like she was. Miley saw Angie's eyes widen. She had never laid eyes on this principal before. And for sure, Principal Nuellanberg was a sight that MADE sore eyes. 

And right then and there, Mrs. Nuellanberg made the same announcement that she had made on the speaker. But it was worse this time. The eyes were added to make an effect. The whole class was cowering in the chairs when she finished. And she walked out of the room without another word.

"That was a smart idea, Miley!" said Lilly later at lunch. "Did you come up with the punishment?"

"Oh please!" said Miley taking a bite of her burger. "Only Mrs. Nuellanberg could come up with something THAT bad."

"Good point," said Miley.

"I don't know about you," said Oliver. "But she scares the guts out of me," said Oliver.

"Yeah, she scares the _petoosky_ out of Lilly," Miley said, poking Lilly.

"Gah! Let it go!" Lilly said, pulling at her hair.

Miley finished her lunch and tossed out her trash. She walked out into the hallway and right into Principal Nuellanberg. Miley stumbled backward, but the principal didn't even waver. She stood about a head taller than Miley, and she stared down her nose at her.

"Oh, um, hi, Principal Nuellanberg!" said Miley. "Um, I, uh, just wanted thank you for the announcement you made this morning. It'll make me being Hannah Montana much easier."

"Hmm. Miss Stewart, you seem to have forgotten the announcement yourself. One week of detention! You'll stay after school with me this week to do you lines." And with that, Principal Nuellanberg walked off, stiff and proud. Miley stood there, open mouthed. She couldn't even comprehend what was happening!

Her week was officially ruined.

(A/N: Nuellanberg came from my favorite German treat. It's just like chocolate frosting, but much thicker and richer. But Principal Nuellanberg is certainly no taste of chocolate!)


	19. Hannah Montana is a TVland Creation

**I don't own Hannah Montana. I do own this story though. Oh yeah, and Angie, she's made up. Peace.**

**Chapter 19: "Hannah Montana is a TV land Creation"**

Miley stomped into her house after school that day grumbling under her breath. She stormed over to the kitchen and reached into the freezer with her left hand. Apparently Robbie Ray noticed.

"Bud..."

"Don't talk to me Daddy! I'm in a bad mood!" Miley growled. She dug through the freezer and grabbed an icepack, slamming it onto her right hand, wincing. "Okay. Now you can talk to me."

Robbie Ray raised his eyebrows. "...is something wrong?"

"Principal Nuellanberg is wrong, that's what's wrong!"

"Why, what happened?" Robbie Ray asked, sensing trouble.

"The punishment worked, alright!" Miley exclaimed. "There was no one in detention except for me!"

Robbie Ray looked at her, confused because he didn't know the whole story.

Miley went through from the time the principal made the announcement in homeroom to the time she was finally let out of detention with five back-to-front pages of "Hannah Montana is a TV land creation."

Robbie Ray whistled. "You sure had quite a day, Miley.

"Ya think?" said Miley. She readjusted the icepack on her fingers and sat on the couch. Then she pulled a sweet-act. "Daddy, since I can't write, will you pretty please do my homework for me?"

Robbie Ray laughed. "Are you kidding me? Maybe you should learn how to write with your left hand for the week."

"What? Daddy, please?" Miley said, puppy-pouting.

"Boy, I gotta get outta here!" said Robbie Ray, covering his eyes and dashing out of the room. Miley huffed and struggled to pull out her history book. Not only was Principal Nuellanberg bearing down on her for being Hannah Montana, her teachers didn't seem to be giving her any break, either. 

Though her writing was messy, she eventually got all three homework assignments completed. Miley sighed, leaned back, closed her eyes, and then jumped up again when she heard the doorbell ring. 

Lilly and Oliver walked in, followed by Angie, who rarely got to talk with Miley anymore because of their different classes.

"Hey, Miley!" said Angie cheerfully.

Miley, having leaned her head against the couch again, replied. "Unnnngghhh!"

"Whoa. Tough day?" Oliver asked.

Miley swung her head up to look at him. It was more like a glare. "Yeah, Oliver. Tough day."

"Principal Nuellanberg bore down on her when she mentioned a thanks about the Hannah punishment. She has detention for the week," Lilly explained sitting next to Miley. "Jake said Hi. He couldn't come over with us."

Miley nodded. Then she groaned and leaned into Lilly's shoulder. Lilly patted her on the back.

"Hey!" said Lilly. "Doesn't Hannah have a concert tonight?"

Miley perked up. "Yeah! That's bound to make me feel better. I'll have to hold the mic with my left hand though."

"It hurts that bad?" Angie asked. Miley showed her the sloppy homework, the result of her left-handed writing. Comprehension dawned on Angie's face.

Angie cell phone rang. The cell phone rang a Hannah Montana jingle. Angie picked it up, and by the look on her face, Miley could tell that she wished she hadn't.

"Yeah, Mom, I know...can't Mr. Whiskers wait a few minutes? Yes... I know that if he starts crying, Fauna and Harriet will, too...Okay! I'm coming...I'll there in ten...Love you...bye."

"What was that all about?" Lilly asked.

"I have to go feed my grandmother's cats. I have to go, or they'll go nuts. Sorry, but I'll see you guys tomorrow."

As Hannah Montana rocked the stage, no one in the crowd seemed to care about her alternate identity. Miley had been left at home, and now Hannah was on stage, enjoying every minute of it. Even the soreness in her hand seemed to have receded for a while. She sang a new single and lots of songs from her old albums. Here, Hannah knew who she was and that nothing could change that. Not even Principal Nuellanberg could change that.


	20. What You Read's Not What You Get!

**Chapter 20: What You Read's Not What You Get!**

"Jake, do you really have to go?" Miley asked at the beach on Friday. It had seemed like only yesterday that Jake had showed up at her concert, but it had really been two weeks!

"Sorry, Miley, they want me back at the set. BADLY, according to the message. I think the director was close to tears..." Jake shuddered.

"Yeah. Okay," Miley said. She knew it was no use arguing. "Don't forget to call! And email me too!"

"Emailing will probably be better for me, I've got a feeling I won't have much time for phone calls."

Miley nodded. "Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for doing what you did this week. You know, with Lilly, Oliver and Angie?"

"It was no problem Miley," said Jake. "If I couldn't spend time after school with you, that was the best way to do it."

Miley smirked, embarrassed. "Yeah. Thanks again." Jake smiled, making her smile back.

"Okay, I've got to get going. When my dad says it's time to go, it's TIME TO GO." Jake shrugged apologetically, and walked off after Miley said goodbye.

And surprisingly, Miley didn't miss the kiss that Jake had not given her_. What's wrong with me_? she asked herself. She shivered as she turned to walk back to her house. 

Miley got home and went to work on her homework in her room. She felt strangely empty, but usually after being with Jake it wasn't like this. She felt like she had missed something, but it wasn't him...

Miley finished her homework an hour later and decided to get online. She opened up IM. Lilly wasn't there, so she opened a new screen and just for fun, Googled her own name. What she found surprised her.

**Blogspot:: Yeah, I'm...real...Miley Stewart...**  
_ This blog doesn't exist as far as I know.)_

Miley was curious. She had never visited in her life! She clicked on the web page, unsure of what she would find. Apparently, the blog had been started recently. By someone other than Miley.

Miley had come across a poser!

Miley read on, stunned and hurt at what she found.

**I had detention all this week. Principal Nuellanberg is an absolute witch!**

**Amber and Ashley are horrible snobs. Whatever you do, don't' talk to them or try to be friends with them...**

**Tony the janitor is fat and mean and gave me a locker by the boilers! He doesn't look liek he's showered in forever either...**

Miley would never say anything like this about anyone! She would never discourage friendships or badmouth her superiors like this person was doing! 

Suddenly, the IM bell rang. Lilly!

Miley switched screens quickly and before Lilly could say hello, Miley typed to her.

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** OMG Lilly! I found a poser!

**Lillylol123456789:** No! Where!

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** Here's the link!  came back a few minutes later.

**Lillylol123456789:** Holy cow! That's a pretty dirty mouth that girl has! 

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** I know! And whoever is doing this, they're ruining my rep and hurting ppl! They must know

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** me really well.

**Lillylol123456789:** Yeah! Miles, we HAVE to figure out who it is!

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** ur right.

**Lillylol123456789:** Detective Lilly is on the hunt! See you tomorrow!

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** Wait!

**Lillylol123456789:** Yeah?

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** I think I'm falling out of 3 with Jake.

**Lillylol123456789:** WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** cringes I don't know! He didn't kiss me when he said goodbye, but I didn't care! Last time when

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** we said goodbye at the hotel, I was Xcited to know I would be getting phone calls and stuff from him,

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** but now I don't really mind whether I do or not!

**Lillylol123456789:** Maybe ur going through a dry stage. Or maybe...

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** Maybe what? MAYBE WHAT?

**Lillylol123456789:** Maybe you're going insane. 

**EeneiMeenieMileyMo:** pretends to punch Lilly on the arm 

**Lillylol123456789:** TTYL?

**EenieMeenieMileyMo:** TTLY! TTYL sista!


	21. Lilly Drew, Ultimate Detective

**Chapter 21: Lilly Drew, Ultimate Detective!**

Miley woke up after a restless sleep that night, feeling really glad that it was Saturday. Her mind was a mush of pictures and words; she really couldn't concentrate on anything.

She walked downstairs and fixed herself a big glass of chocolate milk, really eager to get her brain started. It worked. And suddenly a lot of things came flashing back into her head. Jake. The blog. Lilly. The energy the chocolate milk had given her drained out instantly.

"G'morning, bud!" said her dad, walking in from outside.

"Hey, daddy," said Miley, slumping at the table.

Robbie Ray glanced at his daughter and raised his eyebrows. "Is something the matter, Miley?"

"Yeah."

"Well?"

"There's a Hannah Montana impersonator on Normally I wouldn't mind, but they're saying really personal things about the people around me, call them mean names and stuff. Now I'm in for it."

Robbie Ray whistled. "What do you plan to do?"

Miley looked up form playing with her hair that was spread out along the counter. "Daddy! Can't you just zap the computer and make my problems go away? Pretty please?"

"I'm not a genie, bud!" said Robbie Ray, setting the newspaper on the table and coming closer to Miley.

"Well, I suggest you pop in the "Aladdin" tape and start getting some lessons!" said Miley, pouting. She hung her head onto the table again and bumped it hard. "Ow!" she said.

"I'd stick with the pillows, Miles," said Robbie Ray.

"Ha, ha," Miley groaned, rubbing her head.

Half an hour later, Miley had put on some clothes and was sitting on the beach, catching some rays.

"Miley!"

Miley looked up to see Lilly running at her. She was wearing sunglasses, a weird hat, and carrying a magnifying glass and a notebook.

"What's with you?" asked Miley, suppressing a laugh.

"Lilly Drew, Ultimate Detective, at you service!" said Lilly, plopping down onto the sand next to Miley. Miley raised her eyebrows, and then shrugged, deciding that she'd be better off not knowing.

"I've already got some suspects," Lilly Drew continued. "1. Amber 2. Ashley 3. Amber and Ashley 4. Tony the Janitor 5. Principal Nuellanberg, 6. Dandruff Danny..."

"Ok!" said Miley, holding her hand up. "First of all, the first five are out of the question because they were all insulted on the website. And second...Dandruff Danny?"

"Yeah! He's been making goo-goo eyes at you since you made your little announcement."

"Ewwww!" Miley wrinkled her nose. Lilly just kept reading.

"7. Becca Weller 8. Josh 9. Angie 10. Jake 11. Oliver 12. Lilly"

"Okay, 7 and 8 possibly, but Angie?"

"Think about it, she's been in your shadow since people found out you were Hannah. You haven't been in the shadow with her."

"Jake?"

"Jake does know you well enough!"

"OK. You've got a point. But he's in Romania now! Besides, he might have a reason to insult Nuellanberg but not Tony! Do you remember the setup he got?"

Lilly nodded in understanding.

"You never know!"

"Yeah, I guess..." Miley sighed.

Lilly Drew, Ultimate Detective wasn't making Miley feel any better.


	22. Daughter of the Mob

**Chapter 22: Daughter of the Mob**

When Miley walked into school the other day, she had no idea what nasty surprise Amber and Ashley had set up for her. Apparently, someone had tipped them off about the blog, and they had printed it up and stuck on the public bulletin board. Miley was boiling, her brain scanning over all the suspects Lilly "Drew" Trescott had suggested.

By lunch, everyone had seen A+A's little announcement. Miley held her lunch tray in front of her face as she sat down. She hadn't received such nasty looks since she had tried to break up with her brother on the Wake Up with Wendy show. Angie ushered her to her seat as Lilly stood in front, acting out a perfect performance of Roxy after a show. 

"Back off, leave her alone, she's not raw meat!" shouted Lilly, her eyes bulging. Considering that no one was anywhere near Miley, this certainly got their attention. They stared like hungry vultures until she stopped and then they turned away again.

Miley groaned and buried her face in her hands. She looked up. "Well? Somebody say something!" she said to her friends, who were all watching her like a ticking bomb.

"Uh...And how does that make you feel?" asked Angie. She reached out and patted Miley's hand. It was an uncanny imitation of those cheesy psychologists. It got a giggle out of Miley.

"If you want to know, I feel miserable. First someone had the nerve to say those horrible things, and now I'm the biggest joke since I Love 90's Music Videos and Tickle Me Elmo!"

Angie had picked up a pen and was pretending to write on her hand, nodding in agreement every so often. Miley, Lilly, and Oliver laughed.

"Hey, Miley." Miley turned to see Sarah standing there.

"Oh, hi, Sarah!" said Miley. "How are things at the Nursing Home?" It was a feeble attempt at conversation, but what do you say to a girl who's practically grown up in the Peace Corps.?

"It's great! I actually played the newest Dolly Parton CD for them, and they really enjoyed that," Sarah said eagerly.

"Really? I love Dolly Parton; she's the best aunt ever!"

"She's your aunt? No way!"

"Actually, she's my godmother, but I call her Aunt Dolly."

Sarah nodded. "That's neat," suddenly, she sniffed. "Sorry, I'm allergic to ketchup, and they slipped some in my burger. I think I have to go to the nurse. Maybe while I'm there I can help her organize. Bye." 

Miley grinned halfheartedly at Sarah and waved after her as she walked off, her eyes beginning to water.

"Hey, Stewart, you've already been mean to us, why not take it easy on poor Sarah?" said Amber, striding over form the other table, closely followed by Ashley.

"I wasn't-"

"And what was with that thing you said about Principal Nuellanberg?" Ashley said accusingly.

"I didn't-"

"And Tony the Janitor doesn't need to be picked on like that!" Amber sniffed.

"Back us up here, people!" Amber and Ashley said at the same time. "Oooo, tiss!"

And suddenly, everyone who was there stood up and marched over for the attack. Everyone started talking at once, all with clearly angry faces. Miley ducked and tried to fight her way out of the mob. It took forever, and she was almost late for class. That would not have been a good mark on Principal Nuellanberg's list.

Whoever was spreading these rumors really needed to be stopped.


	23. Some Friendships Don't Last Forever

This is probably the shortest chapter yet, my apologies, but the next one is almost twice as long, so hopefully I'll make it up to you then! Enoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana. Sorry!

**Chapter 23: Some Friendships Don't Last Forever**

Miley threw her backpack on her bed later that day. She massaged her hand. She had been given detention by Principal Nuellanberg again. She had been charged with "libel" **(A/N: New term from history class! Printed false statements damaging to the reputation.) **after Principal Nuellanberg had read the blog pin-up on the bulletin board. Miley had tried defending herself, but because of her past experience with Principal Nuellanberg, she knew it was pointless before she had even opened her mouth.

She logged on to check her Hannah email. It made her feel even worse.

_Dear Hannah,_

_I don't know those ppl but you realE shouldn't say stuff like that those poor people I feel so bad for them how could you do that it's so mean. _

_Faylinn from Albuquerque_

_Dear Hannah_

_I am not buying your next CD and I'm selling ur concert tickets so I don't have 2 go. Have u ever written a song about hurtful words? Cause if you have, u should learn from it!_

_Cassidy from the Big Apple_

_Dear Hannah, _

_I can't believe you, gurl! You were downright nasty to them poor fellas! I ain't buying another CD of yours and I'm gonna smoosh ur first album under my tractor. I'm ashamed to be from Tennessee!_

_Tiffany from Tennessee!_

Miley sighed and deleted all the fan mail. She decided to check the blog to see if anything else had been written. And to her horror, it had.

**I'm glad I'm making those people feel miserable, they deserve it! They're the biggest joke since I Love 90's Music Videos and Tickle Me Elmo!**

**And what's with that Sarah person? She's such a crybaby, who cares if there's ketchup in her burger? She's just plain weird**.

These words stung Miley badly. She wouldn't dare say anything like that about anyone! But the worst part was, she had said those very things in the first paragraph, but they had been twisted to mean something totally different!

Depressed, Miley logged off the internet and hopped downstairs. She smelled chicken. Comfort food!

"Hey bud, you don't look so good," said Robbie Ray as he was dishing out his oven-fried garlic chicken **(A/N: Better than it sounds! lol). **

"The blog's been updated," said Miley, "and I'm getting tons of hate mail from my fans. One girl's even doing a Dixie Chick on me!"

"You mean crushing your CD's under their tractor? Yee-doggies!"

"Yeah," said Miley, sitting at the table as her dad handed her a plate. She paused for a moment and stared at Jackson, who was sticking chopsticks (which were completely unnecessary for this meal anyway) up his nose.

"Ummm...where was I?" she asked her dad, pulling her eyes off her brother.

"Well, I was about to ask you if you had any idea who it was," said Robbie Ray, taking a bite of chicken.

"Unfortunately, yeah," said Miley, frowning.

"Who is it then?"

"Angelique Moore."


	24. How to Handle a NotSoBest Friend

Ok, I promises this one woud. be much longer, and it is. Almost twice as long. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana. I do own her album and a Hannah Montana poster, but that doesn't count.

**Chapter 24: How to Handle a Not-So-Best Friend**

"So, what do you plan to do, bud?" Robbie Ray asked Miley.

"I don't know! Lilly suspected her from the beginning, but I never thought she'd do something like that!"

"How do you know it was actually her?"

"Today on the blog, things were posted that I'd said directly to Angie! And nobody else but Lilly and Oliver were listening. The worst part is, I said them, but she twisted them all up to be something mean!"

"Why do you think she did it?" Robbie Ray asked, wiping his face with his napkin.

"I don't know, maybe she felt left out because I wasn't in the shadow with her any more. But I really thought she was bigger than ruining her friend's reputation!"

Jackson removed the chopsticks from his nostrils and looked at Robbie Ray, and then Miley.

"Miles, Dad and I are gonna give you tip #1 on Handling Not-So-Best Friends."

"Really? Thanks!"

"Apologize," said Jackson and Robbie Ray together.

"Huh?"

"Apologize! Angie feels left out and - "

"But daddy! It's not my fault that everyone knows who I am now! It was her fault I even had to do it anyway! And I don't see why she would want to join me in the spotlight anyway; I've being getting noting but garbage these past two weeks."

"Miley, Angie made some mistakes, but what she really needs to know is that you don't mean to ignore her, and that you'll do better."

"Yeah, I guess," Miley grumbled. She took a few bites of chicken.

"What am I gonna do about the hate mail?" she said after a few minutes.

"I think you can figure that one out on your own."

"Thank you, Los Angeles!" Hannah shouted after finishing "Best of Both Worlds." She still wore her wig for commercial's sake.

The crowd, which wasn't as large as it normally was, applauded.

"Okay, and before I start my new song," said Hannah, "I'd like to make an announcement.

"I never said any of those things on the blog. It was a poser, and I want to apologize for all the people who were hurt by it. I'm sending you all a personalized gift bag. I have discovered who the poser is, but I'd prefer not to reveal their name to the general public. I plan to confront them about it immediately and have them delete the blog.

"I really hope that everyone will forgive and forget, and that everyone understand the huge mistake that was made here. And now, for my new single..."

Miley took several deep breaths before ringing the doorbell of Angie's house.

Her mom answered the door. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm one of Angie's friends," said Miley.

"Oh! I never new Angie had any friends! She never mentioned you," Mrs. Moore said.

"I bet she didn't," Miley muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, can I just see Angie?"

"Yes, of course. You can go right up to her room." Mrs. Moore smiled and held open the door. Miley walked in, very nervous.

She walked up the stairs and walked to the room Mrs. Moore had said was Angie. Blaring through the stereo was a CD Miley recognized as her own. She knocked.

"Come in!" Angie yelled. Miley opened the door. Angie was sitting on her bed with her back to Miley. Without turning around, she turned down her stereo.

"Um, hi, Angie," Miley said. Angie started and whirled around.

"Miley!" she gasped. "Hi! Mom didn't tell me you were here!"

"Uh, no." Miley looked around the walls and was surprised to see her face plastered everywhere.

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Angie, following Miley's gaze. "I put them all up before I met you and they just never came down."

"I get it. Listen Angie, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Angie feigned confusion.

"Sorry for leaving you behind when people found out that I was Hannah. We both used to be in the shadow, but when people found out I was Hannah, I was kind of jerked out of it. I'm really sorry. I know that's why you wrote the blog."

Angie didn't shout "What?" as Miley had expected. Instead, she looked at her hands and said, "How did you find out?"

"Your last entry," Miley said. "We were doing that silly psychiatrist thing and I told you all that stuff. But why did you have to do it?"

"I don't know, I thought that if people didn't like you, we could be friends again. I don't know why I was so mean. I used to do it to my friends in Illinois, too. If they started fading away, I would do something that would put them right back next to me. I was never cool, so I wanted them to be uncool with me. I'm really sorry, Miley." Angie looked up with pleading in her eyes.

"It's okay, I guess," said Miley, shoving her hands in her pockets. "But I really need you to delete it. It's hurt a lot of people's feelings."

"I know! I will, right now!" Angie said hurriedly. She rushed over and sat at her computer. It took her about seven minutes to find it and delete it all.

"Miley, I'm so sorry!" Angie said again. "Can we still be friends? Please?"

This one took Miley a minute. "Yeah. We can still be friends."

"Oh, thank you Miley! I don't deserve a friend like you!" squealed Angie, rushing up and hugging Miley. Miley smiled and hugged Angie back.

"Crisis Averted. Kind of," said Miley. Angie and Miley laughed, their friendship restored.


End file.
